Drying suspensions of materials

Abstract: An apparatus and a process for drying a suspension of a finely divided particulate solid material to produce the solid material in a substantially dry and unagglomerated form. The apparatus comprises a grinding chamber (1) containing a particulate grinding medium (12), means (21) for introducing a suspension of the particulate solid material into the grinding chamber (1) and an impeller (8, 9) rotating in the grinding chamber (1). The grinding chamber (1) has a perforated base (3) through which a heated gas is introduced to provide an upward flow of gas through the grinding chamber (1) and through the grinding medium (12). As the particulate solid material is dried, fine particles of the material are carried upwards in the upflow of gas through the grinding chamber (1) and may then be classified by classifying means (25) which separate the substantially dry product into a relatively fine fraction and a relatively coarse fraction. Downstream of the grinding chamber and of the classifying means (25), if provided, are filter means which separate the solid particles from the suspended gas. The filter means may comprise one or more cyclones (30) and/or a bag filter assembly

Description: The invention concerns a process and apparatus for drying suspensions of particulate solid materials. Many different types of apparatus are available for thermal drying of wet particulate materials, but most suffer from the disadvantage that the particles tend to agglomerate during the drying process and the particle size distribution of the dry product tends to be significantly coarser than that of the wet feed material. The problem is particularly evident when the particulate material is finely divided, for example when it has a particle size distribution such that more than about 60% by weight consists of particles having an equivalent spherical diameter smaller than 2 µm, and when the particulate material is highly concentrated in the aqueous medium, for example when the solids content of the suspension is in excess of about 50% by weight. For this reason, many finely divided particulate materials are made available commercially in the form of concentrated aqueous suspensions, and it is not commercially attractive to produce them in the form of a dried powder. For many end uses, and especially when the particulate material is to be dispersed in a nonaqueous or non-polar medium, such as, for example, when it is to be used as a filler or extender in an organic polymer composition such as a rubber, plastics or nonaqueous paint composition, a finely divided particulate material in dry powder form would be commercially and technologically advantageous. Transporting a particulate material in aqueous suspension form has the obvious disadvantage that a significant quantity of water is associated with the particulate material, which adds to the cost of conveying the material. FR-A-2255559 describes a process for continuously drying materials by milling fluidisation, wherein the material is initially in a wet solid state or is in the form of a paste or a suspension. The process comprises introducing the material into a fluidized layer of an inert charge or carrier with the aid of a gas or vapour so as to distribute the particles of the material over the surface of the charge or carrier and collecting the dried or substantially dried particles of the material which are removed by the gas or vapour stream from the fluidized layer. EP-A-0510890 describes an apparatus for dry grinding particulate solid material, which apparatus comprises a grinding chamber, means for introducing particulate solid material into the grinding chamber, a perforated base of the grinding chamber through which gas is introduced to provide an upflow of gas passing through the particulate solid material, and an impeller rotating in the grinding chamber to agitate the particulate solid material contained therein. The perforated base has a central imperforate area which causes the gas to pass preferentially through the region near the walls of the grinding chamber, and a horizontal baffle plate having a central opening is positioned in the grinding chamber at a height above the perforated base which is not greater than one half of the traverse width of the grinding chamber. According to the present invention, there is provided drying apparatus for drying a suspension of a finely divided particulate solid material, the apparatus comprising a grinding chamber containing a particulate grinding medium, a conduit provided with an inlet nozzle for introducing a suspension of the particulate solid material into the grinding chamber, and an impeller rotating in the grinding chamber, the grinding chamber having a perforated base through which a heated gas is introduced to provide an upflow of gas through the grinding chamber and through the grinding medium, the perforated base of the grinding chamber having a central imperforate area which causes the gas to pass preferentially through the region near the walls of the grinding chamber. The gas to be introduced through the perforated base of the grinding chamber is advantageously compressed by means of a fan and may be heated indirectly by passage through one side of a heat exchanger, or directly by contact with electric heating elements, or by passage through a combustion chamber in which a gaseous, liquid or solid fuel is burned. The perforated base of the grinding chamber has a central imperforate area which causes the gas to pass preferentially through the region near the walls of the grinding chamber. A horizontal baffle plate having a central opening is also preferably positioned in the grinding chamber at a height above the perforated base which is not greater than one half of the transverse width of the grinding chamber, which baffle is provided to prevent a bed of particulate solid material in the grinding chamber from extending upwards to an undesirable degree near the walls of the grinding chamber. Classifying means for separating the substantially dry and unagglomerated product into a relatively fine fraction and a relatively coarse fraction are preferably provided downstream of the grinding chamber. The classifying means may be separate from the grinding chamber and connected thereto by suitable conduits or may be mounted above the grinding chamber and may form an integral part therewith. The classifying means may conveniently be of the type in which a cylindrical or frusto-conical cage, comprising peripheral, longitudinally extending blades or vanes, is rotated about its longitudinal axis in a current of a suspension of particles in a gas. Relatively fine particles in the suspension pass between the blades or vanes of the rotating cage, while relatively coarse particles are deflected by the blades or vanes in the radially outward direction of the cage. Advantageously means are provided to inject additional gas into the mixture of gas and particles between the grinding chamber and the classifying means or into the classifying means itself. This arrangement makes it possible to adjust the flow rate of gas through the grinding chamber independently of the flow rate of gas through the classifying means, with the result that conditions in the grinding chamber can be adjusted to give an optimum product which will enable the classifying means to operate with the greatest precision and efficiency. Advantageously a second fan is provided downstream of the classifying means to provide negative pressure which will draw gas and suspended particles at the desired rate through the classifying means. Means are also preferably provided downstream of the grinding chamber, and of the classifying means, if used, to separate solid particles from the suspending gas. These means may be, for example, one or more cyclones and/or a bag filter assembly. According to a second aspect of the present invention there is provided a drying process for drying a finely divided particulate solid material in suspension, the process comprising introducing the suspension, through a conduit provided with an inlet nozzle, into a grinding chamber containing a bed of particulate grinding medium and an impeller which is rotated to agitate the grinding medium, and introducing a heated gas through a perforated base of the grinding chamber which has a central imperforate area such that the gas passes through the bed of the grinding medium preferentially through the region near the walls of the grinding chamber, substantially dry particles of the solid material being entrained by the gas and being conveyed out of the grinding chamber. The grinding medium preferably comprises particles of diameter within the range from 0.5 to 12.5mm. More preferably the grinding medium comprises particles of diameter within the range from 1.0 to 5.0mm. The grinding medium may comprise balls, beads or pellets of any hard mineral, ceramic or metallic material. Alternatively, particles of natural sand of appropriate size have been found to be very effective. The process of the invention is particularly advantageous when the particulate solid material has a particle size distribution such that at least 60% by weight consists of particles having an equivalent spherical diameter smaller than 2µm. The suspension of the solid material is preferably a concentrated aqueous suspension and the process is particularly advantageous when the suspension contains at least 50% by weight of the solid material. The suspension is a fluid suspension and may be of relatively low viscosity, in which case a dispersing agent would generally be used. The dispersing agent may be, for example, a water soluble condensed phosphate, a water soluble salt of a polysilicic acid or a polyelectrolyte, for example a water soluble salt of a poly(acrylic acid) or of a poly(methacrylic acid) having a number average molecular weight not greater than 20,000. The amount of the dispersing agent used would generally be in the range of from 0.1 to 2.0% by weight, based on the weight of the dry particulate solid material. The suspension may be introduced at a temperature within the range from about 4°C to about 100°C. However, it is advantageous to pre-heat the suspension to a temperature within the range from 25°C to 100°C. The gas containing entrained particles leaving the grinding chamber is preferably passed through dry classifying means to remove any particles having diameters greater than the desired maximum particle size. Generally it is required that the substantially dry product is free of any particles having an equivalent spherical diameter greater than 10µm, and the dry product is preferably free of any particles having an equivalent spherical diameter greater than 5µm. The gas passing through the perforated base of the grinding chamber preferably has a temperature such that the temperature of the gas and suspended particles leaving the grinding chamber is at least 70°C. It has also been found that a classifying means will not provide efficient separation if the gas which carries the particles to be separated is bone dry. Generally, for most efficient separation, it is required that the gas entering the classifying means has a relative humidity of at least 15%, but the relative humidity of the gas must not be so high as to cause condensation in later stages of the process. Generally the relative humidity of the gas should not be greater than about 55%. The particulate material is preferably dried to a water content of not more than 1% by weight, and preferably to a water content of not more than 0.2% by weight. The fine particulate material which is dried in the grinding chamber may, at the same time be coated with a surface treatment agent which is conveniently introduced into the grinding chamber in particulate solid form through a duct which is provided at its grinding chamber end with a rotary valve. The surface treatment agent may be, for example, a fatty acid having from 12 to 24 carbon atoms in its hydrocarbon chain. Alternatively a liquid surface treatment agent may be used, such as a substituted silane substituted with at least one group having hydrophobic properties and at least one group which is compatible with the surface of the particulate solid material to be treated. Most suitably the substituted silane is of the type which is represented by the general formula:- where R 1 is an aminoalkyl or mercaptoalkyl group, R 2 is a hydroxy, hydroxyalkyl or alkoxy group, and each of R 3 and R 4 , which may be the same or different, is a hydrogen atom or a hydroxy, alkyl, hydroxyalkyl or alkoxy group. For a better understanding of the present invention and to show how it may be carried into effect, reference will now be made, by way of example, to the accompanying drawing, which is a diagrammatic representation of apparatus in accordance with the invention. A grinding chamber 1 is defined by a casing 2, a base plate 3, which has a peripheral annular perforated area 4 and a central imperforate area 5, and a top plate 6, the height of which above the base plate is a little less than one half of the diameter of the grinding chamber, and which is provided with a central aperture 7. An impeller consisting of four cylindrical bars 8 secured to a vertical shaft 9 rotates in a horizontal plane a small vertical distance above the base plate. The impeller is driven by an electric motor 10 through a gear box 11. The grinding chamber is charged with a grinding medium 12 which conveniently consists of grains of silica sand having diameters in the range of from 1mm to 5mm. Heated air under pressure is introduced into a plenum chamber 13 immediately below the base plate 3 by means of a fan 14. Compressed air is blown into the plenum chamber 13 through a heat exchanger 15, to which hot gas is admitted through an inlet 16, and from which it is exhausted through an outlet 17. The volume of heated air entering the plenum chamber may be adjusted by admitting additional air through a vent 18, the volume of air entering in this way being controlled by means of a valve 19. The central aperture 7 of the top plate 6 of the grinding chamber is covered with a frusto-conical hood 20. An aqueous suspension of a particulate material to be dried is introduced into the grinding chamber through a conduit 21 which passes through the side of this hood. An inlet duct 22 for charging solid materials into the grinding chamber passes through the top of the hood and is provided with a rotary valve arrangement 23 which seals the interior of the grinding chamber from the exterior. Solid surface treatment agents may be introduced into the grinding chamber through the duct 22. Alternatively, if the suspension of particulate material to be dried is in the form of a substantially non-sticky cake, this may be introduced through the duct 22. Air containing entrained substantially dry fine particles leaves the grinding chamber through a duct 24 which leads to an air classifier 25. This air classifier comprises a rotating cage 26 made up of peripheral bars or vanes. Of the particles entrained in the air, those of sufficient fineness pass between the bars of the rotating cage, and are discharged from the classifier through a duct 27, while any undesirably coarse particles present in the air stream are deflected by the bars of the rotating cage and are thrown to the outer wall of the classifier to be discharged through a chute 28 to be discarded or recycled to the grinding chamber. Generally not more than about 5% by weight of the particles entering the classifier are discharged as the coarse fraction. The stream of air containing entrained fine particles passes through the duct 27 to a cyclone 30 which separates the fine particles from the air, the fine particles being discharged as product through a rotary valve arrangement 31 at the base of the cyclone. Air which is almost completely freed from entrained fine particles passes through a duct 32 to a bag filter assembly 33 where the remaining finely divided material is separated from the air. Pulses of high pressure air are supplied through a conduit 34 to a plurality of inlets 35 communicating with the interior of filter stockings (not shown) in the bag filter to blow accumulated solid material off the outer surface of the filter stockings. The solid material falls to the base of the bag filter assembly whence it is discharged through a rotary valve 36. Substantially clean air leaves through an outlet 37. The particle size distribution of the fine particles leaving the air classifier 25 may be controlled by adjusting the speed of rotation of the cage 26 and the volumetric flow rate of air and entrained particles through the classifier. For this latter purpose, additional air may be drawn into the stream entering the classifier through an inlet 38, the flow of air being controlled by means of a valve 39. Alternatively, the additional air may be drawn through an inlet 29 provided in the casing of the air classifier 25. The intake of air at one of these points is assisted by providing a reduced pressure in the bag filter assembly by means of a fan (not shown) which is connected to the outlet 37 of the bag filter assembly. The invention will now be described with reference to the following example. EXAMPLE 1 A suspension containing 78% by weight of a natural marble which had been comminuted to give a product having a particle size distribution such that 90% by weight consisted of particles having an equivalent spherical diameter smaller than 2µm was introduced through the inlet conduit 21 of a drying apparatus of the type illustrated in the Figure. The suspension also contained 0.7% by weight, based on the weight of dry marble, of a sodium polyacrylate dispersing agent. The final product was found to contain 0.1% by weight of water. This product was tested for percentage reflectance to light of wavelength 457nm and 570nm, respectively, according to the procedure laid down in International Standard No. I.S.O. 2470. The product was also tested for the percentages by weight of the particles which had equivalent spherical diameters larger than 53µm, larger than 10µm, smaller than 2µm and smaller than 1µm, respectively. The size of the largest particles in the product after dispersion to break down any agglomerates present was also determined by means of a Hegman gauge. As a comparison, a sample of the feed material was also subjected to the same tests. The results obtained are set forth in Table 1 below:- These results show that the drying process in accordance with the invention has no deleterious effects on the brightness nor on the particle size properties of the dried product, compared with the properties of the feed material. Clearly no agglomeration has occurred during the drying operation. It is also found that no appreciable change in the brightness and particle size properties of the dried product takes place after storage for 10 weeks.

Claims: Drying apparatus for drying a suspension of a finely divided particulate solid material, the apparatus comprising a grinding chamber (1) containing a particulate grinding medium, a conduit (21) provided with an inlet nozzle for introducing a suspension of the particulate solid material into the grinding chamber (1), and an impeller (8, 9) rotating in the grinding chamber (1), the grinding chamber (1) having a perforated base (3) through which a heated gas is introduced to provide an upflow of gas through the grinding chamber (1) and through the grinding medium, and the perforated base (3) of the grinding chamber (1) having a central imperforate area (5) which causes the gas to pass preferentially through the region near the walls of the grinding chamber (1). Drying apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein a horizontal baffle plate (6) having a central opening (7) is positioned in the grinding chamber (1) at a height above the perforated base (3) which is not greater than one half of the transverse width of the grinding chamber (1). Drying apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the gas introduced through the perforated base (3) of the grinding chamber (1) is compressed by means of a fan (14). Drying apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the gas to be introduced through the perforated base (3) of the grinding chamber (1) is heated indirectly by passage through one side of a heat exchanger (15). Drying apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the gas to be introduced through the perforated base (3) of the grinding chamber is heated directly by contact with electric heating elements or by passage through a combustion chamber in which a gaseous, liquid or solid fuel is burned. Drying apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein classifying means (30) for separating the substantially dry product into fractions of different particle size ranges is provided downstream of the grinding chamber (1). Drying apparatus as claimed in claim 6, wherein means (19) are provided to adjust the flow rate of gas through the grinding chamber (1) independently of the flow rate of gas through the classifying means (30). Drying apparatus as claimed in claim 6 or 7, wherein a suction fan is provided downstream of the classifying means (30) to provide negative pressure which draws gas and suspended particles through the classifying means (30). Drying apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein filter means are provided downstream of the grinding chamber (1). A drying process for drying a finely divided particulate solid material in suspension, the process comprising introducing the suspension, through a conduit (21) provided with an inlet nozzle, into a grinding chamber (1) containing a bed of particulate grinding medium and an impeller (8, 9) which is rotated to agitate the grinding medium, and introducing a heated gas through a perforated base (3) of the grinding chamber (1) which has a central imperforate area (5) such that the gas passes through the bed of the grinding medium preferentially through the region near the walls of the grinding chamber (1), substantially dry particles of the solid material being entrained by the gas and being conveyed out of the grinding chamber (1). A drying process as claimed in claim 10, wherein a dispersing agent is added to the particulate solid material. A drying process as claimed in claim 10 or 11, wherein the suspension is preheated to a temperature of at least 25°C and not more than 100°C. A drying process as claimed in any one of claims 10 to 12, wherein a surface treatment agent is added to the particulate solid material in the grinding chamber (1).

Inventors: PEARCE DAVID ANTHONY, PEARCE, DAVID ANTHONY
Applicants: ECC INTERNAT LTD, ECC INTERNATIONAL LIMITED
Application year: 1994
Main classification: F26B3
IPC codes: B02C17, B01D1, B02C23, F26B11, F26B3, B02C21